A Caring Hand
by Jersey Wolf
Summary: Tom has a moment of happiness. Will it last? R&R please.


**Author's Note:** More Tom because I still find him fascinating. Terrible and scary and sad and oddly chipper...but still fascinating. Reality is confusing, no? Characters not mine as usual...except Ernie. He's mine. Take him and I'll eat your face :3

The room was warm and comfortable, and nothing seemed to be out of place, but as Tom looked around the room he couldn't help but feel like there was something not quite right. This was his apartment…wasn't it? His couch was here. His photos were in place. Everything was in order. Even Rocky was lounging about lazily on the couch with him; large paws twitching as he dreamed of whatever it was that crossed that canine brain of his. Everything was as it should have been so why were the man's senses on full alert? He didn't have the faintest of clues, and now his head was starting to hurt. Gently he rubbed his temples and tried to gather his thoughts.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered as he tried to get the throbbing in his head to subside.

"Something the matter, Tom?" The voice caused Thomas to jump. That hadn't been his thoughts…at least he didn't think so. His inner voice had never sounded like that before. He knew exactly whose voice it was though…but…no. Surely not. It couldn't be…could it? "Hello? Earth to Thomas!" This time Tom allowed himself to turn his head slowly toward the voice until his eyes rested on the voice's owner. It was an all too familiar face for the parking attendant. He couldn't believe what he laid his eyes to rest upon and blinked several times, half-expecting this thing to be some sort of specter that would disappear just as mysteriously as it had appeared.

Thomas tried to force something out, but his throat felt dry, and not a sound would come out. The voice's owner laughed quietly as she watched him struggle to find his voice. Finally, he dug up a sound and spoke. "Oh…I…sorry. I'm just a little confused is all. I uh…wasn't expecting to see you…Angela." The blond woman smiled softly and walked over to the man and lowered her face so it was even with his.

"Always were the forgetful one," Angela said in a half-serious voice, but with a touch of joking that allowed Tom's pounding heart a reason to relax. "Can't blame you. You've been very sick. Somebody had to take care of you. You must have been more out of it than I thought." Tom's brow creased in thought. He placed the tips of his fingers on his cheeks as felt that they were warm and more than likely flushed. It could have been from fever…or embarrassment. Sick? Was he sick? He couldn't remember for the life of him…and yet he couldn't bring himself to care. Angela…she was in his apartment! His only question right now was how on EARTH he'd managed that. She didn't even know he existed…at least he hadn't thought so.

Sighing, Thomas turned his gaze to the floor and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess. My head just hurts. That's all."

"Well, in that case I'll grab you an aspirin." Before Tom had time to reply, the blond headed down the hall. The man craned his neck to watch her until she disappeared into the bathroom…his bathroom! As the thought hit him he quickly turned away, this time feeling his face get warmer, but now he was sure it wasn't from fever.

"Rocky!" he called to the behemoth rottweiler that was taking up most of the couch. His dog perked up his head and gave his owner a look that could only be described as "What do you want?" Tom countered with an annoyed look of his own. He scratched the dog's stomach for a moment or two before continuing. "Jeez…Rocky…how'd all this happen? I mean…I'm not mad or anything, but…I can't remember a damn thing. Maybe it's a sign?" Rocky simply "rrrrr'd" in response as he sat up and got off the couch to relocate to the other side of the room. "Thanks. You're so helpful," Thomas said dryly. He opened his mouth to say more, but all thoughts dropped from his mind as he heard soft footsteps coming toward him.

"Talking to your dog again?"

"Only a little."

"Hmmm…yeah, ok. Anyway, do you know how hard it is to navigate your medicine cabinet? There's a bunch of stuff with no labels on them or anything. You might take something one day and end up killing yourself," Angela said flatly, though the corners of her mouth twitched as if she wanted to frown. Thomas didn't say anything, but continued to stare at her. Lovely…she was so lovely. No, more than lovely…she was perfect, and Tom had her to himself if only for now. "Eh, but anyway…found some Advil. It should do the trick for that headache of yours." Carefully, she deposited to pills into her hand and then offered them to Tom who still seemed stunned into silence and did not move to take the pills. "Oh come on!" Angela said, irritation lacing her words. "I'm not going to have to force you am I?" A wide grin crept onto Tom's face. "You've got to be kidding me," the blond groaned with fake annoyance.

"Nope," the man replied, getting all too much enjoyment out of the creases that became apparent on Angela's face as she tried to think of some way to get around Tom's playful difficulty. "Bribes work too," Tom continued, reaching and arm out and pulling the woman down onto the couch with him.

Laughing, Angela asked, "Oh? Like what?"

"I've got a few ideas," he smiled moving a little closer. However, before any moves were made a new voice thundered over the scene.

"Tom! Hey, Tom!" The voice canceled out all other noises, and Tom looked over at Rocky who looked to be barking but with no sound emitting from his maw. Confused, Tom turned his attention back to Angela, but she was no longer sitting beside him. "Tom! Tom!" The voice sounded more impatient now, and Tom clutched his skull as he tried to block out that sound. Still, the voice persisted. "Tom! Tom! Tom!" He clenched his eyes shut, but the voice did not go away as the apartment started to crumble beneath his feet. Then there was a sudden shake, and the parking attendant's eyes flew open, heart beating out of his chest, or at least feeling like it was. Frantically, blue eyes darted around taking in the suddenly different surroundings. However, the surroundings were not unfamiliar. It was the office…his office in the parking garage. Asleep…he'd been asleep! The warm feeling he'd had only moments ago gave way to anxious feelings as he tried desperately to retrieve the fleeting pieces of his dream.

"You're not getting paid to doze off," a gruff voice addressed him, and Tom looked over as the squat man who was gripping his shoulder. It was the cause of the voice and the shaking from his dream.

"Ah, yeah…sorry, Ernie. I guess I was more tired than I thought…sorry. I didn't mean to…I was just…sorry," Tom said, seeming to shrink in the chair he occupied. "It won't happen again."

"It had better not or you'll be out of a job before you know what hit you," the superior growled. "Now, get outta here. Your shift's over."

"Yes, sir…" Tom grumbled, trying to keep the irritation that was welling up inside of him down. Getting up from his chair, Thomas grabbed a few papers from the desk and headed over to his car. Getting in he started the engine, but he did not move from his parking space for a few more seconds as he closed his eyes, replaying what he could remember of his dream. "Kind of makes me want to sleep forever…" he mused as he opened his eyes and drove out of the parking garage.


End file.
